Rule 18Cross-Border Transfer & Research Exemptions
Standards for research, archiving and statistical processing
What the Rule sets out
Sets conditions under which the Section 17 research/archiving/statistical exemption applies, generally requiring that processing follow a defined standard, not be used to make any decision specific to an individual, and that appropriate safeguards against re-identification be maintained.
What this means in practice
- Document your anonymisation or pseudonymisation method for any dataset you're treating as exempt research data — the exemption turns on genuinely not being able to single out or decide about an individual, not merely on internal labelling as 'research'.
Summarised for practical use from the publicly notified DPDP Rules, 2025. Confirm exact clause text against the official Gazette notification before relying on it for compliance decisions.